Chapter 4

Delaney POV

I was left standing against the wall, the click of the door after they walked out barely registering. The throb in my temples was growing, spreading to the frontal part of my head, threatening to explode. No one had ever defied the alpha kings and lived to tell the tale, but how could I just leave? A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts, prompting me to step away from the wall.

"Come in," I murmured, my eyes glued to the door. I wasn't expecting to see my other best friend, Carter, accompanied by a pale and shaken Nyra.

"Nyra wasn't joking when she said you were being forced to leave," Carter stated, pulling me into a tight hug. I closed my eyes, relaxing in his arms as he rubbed my back. Something about his embrace felt different, though. It did not make me feel safe like it used to or arouse feelings like before; it simply didn't feel like Alpha Kai's. We had kissed a couple of times, but each time I stopped it before it escalated to sex.

"I don't want to," I whispered, pulling from the hug.

"I ca-n't." My voice broke, my eyes burning as I looked at my best friends. The very friends who had kept me going since my mother disappeared without a trace when I was 8 years old.

"But you can't defy the alpha kings' orders, I still haven't recovered from the power they were oozing in this very room," Nyra spoke in a hushed tone.

"Yes, I can, Nye," I responded firmly. "How can I just abandon you? college? My dad? I have been the only constant thing in his life since my mom's disappearance. I have seen him struggle to stay strong for me, burying the pain inside every single day to raise me. What will happen if I leave him alone?" I lamented, a lump growing in my throat.

I turned, facing the door that led to my balcony. My eyes were burning with unshed tears, but every time I felt the liquid bubbling to the surface, I blinked rapidly to push it back. Then an idea crossed my mind, making my trembling lips stretch into a smile.

"I have an idea," I suddenly said, walking across the room in short, fast steps to my closet. There, I yanked four bed sheets, my heart beating beginning to accelerate.

"What are those for?" Nyra asked, her forehead creasing as she followed me to the balcony, Carter trailing behind.

"I am going to tie these to the rails and climb down, and then I am going to make a run for it," I explained, knotting the first two bed sheets together with my hands trembling.

"Are you nuts?" Nyra whisper-yelled, looking at me like I had two heads.

"Let me help you," Carter chimed in, earning a side glare from Nyra.

"Do you know what the alpha kings will do to us when they find out, or your dad? He'll kill us!" Nyra hyperventilated, tugging at Carter's sleeve, trying to stop him from tying the remaining sheets.

"I have to do this, Nye, please," I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What is your plan once you get down? Where will you go?" Carter asked, fastening the end against one of the metal rails of my balcony.

"I, I don't—"

"Run to my parent's cabins in the woods and wait for us there. I am assuming that once your dad and the alpha kings realise you are gone, they will begin a search. Nyra and I will blend in and come to you in the pretence of searching for you, okay?" Carter's plan sounded good and solid.

"Why can't you just jump? We are werewolves, remember? If you want to escape so much, then jumping will save time," Nyra chimed in, swallowing hard. She had no idea that I had no wolf and that jumping would be attempted suicide.

Before I could answer, there was a knock at my door, followed by my father's voice calling me. All of us panicked, our eyes widening, about to get caught up in the act.

"Go, go distract him, lie that she is in the bathroom." Carter nudged Nyra while I swung my leg over the balcony. I could feel my heart beating as blood rushed to my ears.

"Is she done?" I could hear my father asking Nyra, but I didn't wait to hear her reply. I clutched on to the fabric and began lowering myself inch by inch, ignoring the burn the sheets left on my palms. A few inches down, the knot creaked, sending my heart leaping to my throat. A silent scream passed between my lips as I looked at Carter, then down at the ground. One minute I was dangling in the air, and the next I felt the sound of the sheets tearing.

"Carter!" I screamed his name as my foot slipped, only for the scream to be cut short as I came into contact with the ground. I could have sworn I saw his lips stretch into a sinister smirk. Pain radiated from my ankle, spreading upwards as I rolled on the ground. With my vision blurring, I caught a glimpse of Carter easily jumping down, landing beside me with his feet and one hand on the ground.

"Ssh," he hushed, placing his hand on my mouth.

"Call my d-ad," I breathed, gasping when pain radiated across my chest.

"No need, Del; I am going to take good care of you," he whispered, rubbing his hand on top of my head gently. I was struggling to keep my eyes open, but a blurry glimpse at his, and all I could see was something in them. A feeling that crossed quickly, almost as if I had assumed it.

"D-ad," I voiced out again, my head feeling so full. I attempted to keep my eyes open, but every struggle proved futile, and soon my eyes involuntarily closed.

Before I could slip into nothingness completely, a familiar voice, though sounding so distant, filled my throbbing ears.